The Republican rivals and Democrat Burton LeFlore spent more than an hour answering questions Wednesday night at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park.

The winner of the runoff between Byrne and Young will go on to face LeFlore in a general election on Dec. 17.

The candidates are in a competition to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of former U.S. Rep. Joe Bonner.

The forum was sponsored by the Military Officer's Association of America and the South Alabama Veterans' Council. It focused on military and veteran issues.

Benefits provided for veterans, including health care, were among the topics discussed during the forum.

"We must make as big a priority on taking care of our veterans as the president has the last couple days of taking care of his health care web site," Byrne said. "Maybe if we did that... we would do right by our veterans."

The candidates also were asked about improving the health care facility for veterans in Mobile.

If elected, Young said he would be an advocate for veterans and push for a better facility in Mobile.

"What we have got now is not adequate," he said. "It is in disrepair. It's a shame that our veterans don't have better than they do."

LeFlore said he wants to expand constituent services for veterans in an effort to make sure that their needs are not being ignored.

"We have got to support our veterans," he said. "We have got to see that our veterans have the health care that they need. We have got to see to it that our veterans have the subsidies they need if they are receiving VA benefits."